Preparation, optical and thermal properties of CdSe-ZnS/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites

Xinghou Gong, Ling Pan, Chak Yin Tang, Ling Chen, Zhonghua Hao, Wing Cheung Law, Xiaotao Wang, Chi Pong Tsui, Chonggang Wu

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

49 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, CdSe-ZnS/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposite films, containing different concentrations of surface-modified CdSe-ZnS quantum dots (QDs), were prepared via a solution casting method. The optical microstructural and thermal properties of the as-prepared QDs/PLA films were investigated. The QDs/PLA films exhibited strong and stable photoluminescence (PL) intensity with concentration dependent amplitudes. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) pictures revealed that QDs of ∼5 nm diameter were uniformly dispersed in the PLA matrix. According to the results of thermogravimetric analysis, the weight-loss onset temperature of PLA clearly decreased with the QD content. A combination of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results suggested that the QDs exhibit obvious nucleation activity on the crystallization behavior of the PLA matrix. This research provides useful information to the foundations of practical applications of QDs/PLA nanocomposites as fluorescent and biodegradable functionalized materials.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)494-499
Number of pages6
JournalComposites Part B: Engineering
Volume66
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014

Keywords

  • A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
  • B. Optical properties/techniques
  • B. Thermal properties
  • Quantum dots

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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